Howdy, everybody! It’s CHART ATTACK! time once again!, What can I tell you about this week? Well, at least three of our artists owe their chart success to MTV. Four of our artists are from Europe, and strangely enough, three are from Michigan. And I’d say that just over 50% of today’s songs still hold up today, but I’ll leave you to make that decision for yourself. Let’s jump into October 5, 1985!

10. Part-Time Lover — Stevie Wonder Amazon iTunes
9. Dancing in the Street — Mick Jagger and David Bowie Amazon iTunes
8. Lonely Ol’ Night — John Cougar Mellencamp Amazon iTunes
7. Freedom — Wham! Amazon iTunes
6. Saving All My Love for You — Whitney Houston Amazon iTunes
5. Dress You Up — Madonna Amazon iTunes
4. Take On Me — a-ha Amazon iTunes
3. Oh Sheila — Ready for the World Amazon iTunes
2. Cherish — Kool & the Gang Amazon iTunes
1. Money for Nothing — Dire Straits Amazon iTunes

10. Part-Time Lover — Stevie Wonder

I am slowly working my way through the entirety of Stevie’s discography. I’m extremely familiar with everything he released from 1971 through 1976, which doesn’t sound like a lot until you remember that Stevie Wonder’s a prolific, musical genius and released six albums (including a double album) within that period. Anyway, so far, I’ve made it as far as 1980’s Hotter Than July, which is actually a phenomenal record. This means I have another record or two until I get to In Square Circle, which is where you’ll find “Part-Time Lover.” Any thoughts on the album, readers? If it’s no good, let me know; I ignored all the people who said Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants was a piece o’ crap and boy, do I regret it now.

But I digress. I like this song. No, it’s not going to hold a candle to anything Stevie released in the ’70s, but to hold any of these songs to that standard is completely pointless, and besides, this is a catchy pop song. “Undercover passion on the run” is a great phrase. Also, I love the story: he’s cheating on her, but (gasp!) she’s cheating on him too! SNAP! “Part-Time Lover” reached #1 on the Pop, R&B, Dance and Adult Contemporary charts, making Stevie the first artist to accomplish such a feat.

Here’s the music video, featuring Stevie groovin’ in a club meant for people who can’t really dance. Also, for the first part of the video, he’s in a triangle for some reason.

I saw Stevie live three times this past year. He played “I Just Called to Say I Love You” at two of the shows, and at all three, he let “Ribbon in the Sky” drag on for 20 minutes. Not once did he play “Part-Time Lover.” I feel slightly jilted, but still, if Stevie comes to your town, run, don’t walk.

9. Dancing in the Street — Mick Jagger and David Bowie

Remember in early 1990, when Angela Bowie made the rounds on the talk show circuit and dished details about finding Mick and David in bed together, naked? And remember how it was this big, salacious bombshell? Anybody who found that news shocking obviously never saw the “Dancing in the Street” video.

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The other day someone asked me what the “most valuable” record in my collection is. It’s a question I’ve always had a hard time answering, because I have no idea if anything in my collection is worth money. I mean, I know which of my albums and 45s are rare, and certainly I know some pieces are worth some kind of money, but for me any sort of “value” comes from just having that particular hole filled in my collection. I’m not the first collector to say this and I certainly won’t be the last, but there is no part of my collection that I’ve been working on in order to turn a profit. Granted, if I ever get that elusive Shamus M’Cool 45 my collection will jump tremendously in value, but for now it contains just what I think is cool.  And in case you’re wondering how I define “cool” …

I own 19 different versions of “Talkin’ Baseball” by Terry Cashman, and Baseball America values them at up to $50 apiece. Of course, that’s Baseball America talking. I own “Dance Baby,” the 1983 single from Alfonso Ribeiro, aka Carlton on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. I own Alyssa Milano’s first album (1989’s Look in My Heart), and having Frank Stallone’s self-titled disc brings me much joy. I get endless conversations out of the men-hugging-each-other cover of Ambrosia’s One Eighty, and Scott Baio’s 1982 debut gives me nightmares.

These are the pieces of my collection that are valuable to me. One day I’m going to sell it off, and then I’ll really see what it’s worth to own way too much Peabo Bryson music, but until then I’ll keep lovin’ the Stryper picture disc simply because it’s mine. So the next time someone asks me what’s the “most valuable” piece of my collection, I guess I should answer, “All of it” (which of course is the lamest answer I could possibly give).

NEW MUSIC FOR THE COLLECTION:
DFX2, Emotion
Fiona, Fiona
Hanoi Rocks, Two Steps From the Move
Full Force, Full Force
The J. Geils Band, You’re Getting’ Even, While I’m Gettin’ Odd

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Dire Straits - “Skateaway”

Melanie Safka - “Brand New Key”

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What do you want Rollergirl to do with her skates?

• Leave them on (Dire Straits)
• Take them off (Melanie Safka)

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“Wild West End,” a track from Dire Straits’ self-titled first record, is a dreamy, beautiful song I carry around with me, even if I don’t seek it out for regular listens. Buried deep inside the memory of my MP3 player, the song will pop up now and then like a pleasant memory hidden in the recesses of my brain. I can’t pinpoint the first time I heard this song, but I do know that moment occurred in the mid-’90s, after Julie and I moved west. Back then, the optimism of the Clinton administration was trickling down to blue-collar workers like us. Music was in one of its transitional phases, somewhere between alternative rock and a burgeoning group of artists like Dave Matthews and Sheryl Crow. Soon after we took up residency in California, a great radio station took to the airwaves. KSCA, 103.1 was Los Angeles’ answer to the AAA format, or “World Class Rock.”

In the beginning, KSCA didn’t adhere to a defined playlist, and in any given hour you could hear Springsteen, Shawn Colvin, the Smithereens, vintage Bonnie Raitt, Steve Earle, Tori Amos, the Clash and Dire Straits. For a brief moment, the station shined brightly in the city of angels, but it faded fast, like a dying star. To me, it was the demise of meaningful radio. Every station after KSCA disappeared began to sound the same: corporate. The DJs on 103.1 felt like your friends, people you could rely on for guidance, suggestions, and arguments (not to mention they had the ability to make Los Angeles listeners feel like a real community), and the mouthpieces that rattled from my car speakers all sounded like variations of the same damn voice. When I hear Dire Straits on the radio anymore, it’s usually one of five songs; it’s never “Wild West End.” Perhaps that’s why it’s so special to me — it reminds me of an important period in my life when Julie and I were finding our way together in a foreign land called Los Angeles. (more…)